Spring-wheel.



w. L. DAVl S.

SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1.911.

L%@, 31 53, Patented Mar. 19, 1918.-

WITNESSES To all whomamay concern:

WILLIAM LEROY DAVIS, or iaonn, MissrssIrrI.

sigma-warm.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19,1918.

Application filed rune 12, 1917. seriai-n'o. mere.

c it known that-I. Will-LIAM L; Davis, a citizen of the United States;residing at Bond, in the county of Stone and State of Mississippi, haveinvented new and useful Improvements; in Spring-Wheels, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicle wheels referring moreparticularly 'to wheels obtaining resiliency by the use ofsprings.

Incarryingout the invention my principal purpose is topr'o'vide a moreeliicient disposition of the springs and coeperating parts. Anotherobject is to provide a spring wheel in which dirt ismore effectuallyexcluded from the mechanism.

With these and other Objects in view I have incorporated my invention inthe con struction,combination, and arrangement of parts described in thespecification below, more particularly set forth in the appendedclaims,-and delineated in the drawings, in

Figure 1 isa fragmentary section taken on a plane perpendicular to theaxis of the wheel, adjacent one-side of the bearing blocks 18 asindicated in Fig. 3 by the line 1 1.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the outer parts of thewheel broken away to expose the springs and adjacent portions of themechanism.

Fig. 3is a fragmentary transverse section view through the outerportions of the wheel on the plane indicated by the line 3-'3 of Fig. 1.a

Fig; 4 shows a detail of the invention.

As shown in the drawings the wheel has an inner rim 1 having spokes 2attached in any usually employed manner. Attached to the periphery ofthe rim is an annular channel member 3, for containing the springelements, having a base at bolted or otherwise properly secured to therim, and laterally spaced outwardly extending flanges or side walls 25and 6 preferably parallel to each other and at right angles to the basel. One

' of the side walls 5 may be formed integrally with the base and forconvenient access to the springs the other side wall 6 may be bolted orotherwise detachably engaged on the base 4.

Each side wall is formed with spaced rectangular openings 7 disposed inan annular row which is concentric to the base 4,

and-tie openings in the two walls are arranged in coinciding relation.between the walls andtermmatmg 1n the Extending openings are connectingelements constituting s'pringpockets 8, each pocket 8 comprising a tubepreferably rectangular in section which may be provided with shoulders 9abutting against the sidewalls or with any other suitable means forsecure retention in position. Radially disposed in each pocket 8 is acompression spring 10 bearing against compression-plates 11 inserted inthe pockets 8 for free sliding movement, theplates llhaving the endsprotending from the. respective openings for a purpose to be hereinaftermentioned. Bearing against the out side of each radial wall 8ofthepockets 8 is a spring 12 extending, preferably tangentially, tobear against a shoe 13 mounted for free movement in a direction tocompress the spring; such mounting here shown as projections 14 on thesides of the shoe 13 slidably engaged in guide-slots 15 provided in theside walls 5 and 6. To prevent dis placement, the springs 12 may beinserted in sockets 16 attached to the walls 8 of the pockets 8 andshoes 13 or any other suitable means may be employed.

Spaced outwardly from vand normally concentric to the side walls 5 and 6is an outer rim 16 which may have on the pe riphery a rubber tread 17for Contact with theroadway and is provided on itsinner peripherybetween the adjacent ends of each pair of springs'12 with an inwardlytapered or Wedge-shaped bearing block 18 in faceto-face contact with theshoes 13; whereby the majority of'the springs will be compressed'in arelative movement of the rims.

To enable the resiliency of the springs 10 to take effect a disk-shapedannulus 19 is closely fitted into the rim 16 on each side and isarranged in outward overlapping re lation to, the corresponding sidewall, and formed for receiving the protruding ends of the plates 11 withopenings 20 elongated to'permit relative rotation of the rims 1 and 16within the effective range of the springs 12. To retain each annulus 19in position, it is clampingly engaged between a shoulder 21 which mayform an integral part of the rim 16 and a circular side-plate 22 whichis detachably secured to the rim 16 adjacent of the annulus by suitablemeans shown as headed studs 23 inserted in openings pro.- vided in eachannulus 19 and side plate 22 and having screw threaded engagement insuitable openings in the rim 16. A spacing ring 24 may be insertedbetween eachsideplate 22 and the adjacent annulus 19 when desired. Theside-plates 22 are further utilized for tightly closing thespring-cavity to exclude dirt and retain lubricants, this be ingeflected in the present instance by bolt ing or otherwise securing tothe rim 1 flanges 25 extending adjacent to and here shown as underlyingthe side plates 22. The spring cavity is preferably filled with grease,and I a felt or other suitable washer 26 is prefer ably inserted betweenthe side-plate and g flange to more perfectly seal the joint.

Itis to be understood that the herein described embodiment of myinvention is not to be interpreted as in any way limiting the vspirit orscope of the inventlon, such limitation being confined to that indicatedby the latitude ofthe claims.

I claim: 7

1. In a resilient wheel, an inner rim, an

outer rim spaced apart from said inner rim,

an annular row of spaced wedge-shaped bearing-blocks on one of saidrims, a plurality of spring-supporting elements on the other rim, and aplurality of springs extending between said bearing-blocks and saidsupporting elements, each spring having one end rigidly engaged with arespective supporting'element and the other end slidably engaged againsta respective bearing-block.

2. In a resllient wheel, an inner rim, an

- outer'rim spaced apart from said inner rim,

an annular row of spaced wedge-shaped bearing-blocks on one of saidrims, a plurality of spring-supporting elements on the other rim, aplurality of springs extending between said bearing-blocks and saidsupporting elements, each spring having one end rigidly engaged with arespective supporting element and the other end slidably engaged againsta respective bearing-block, and guide means on the last-mentioned rimwhereby said springs are restricted to movement tangentially to thelast-mentioned rim.

3. In aresilient wheel, an inner rim, an outer rim spacedapart from saidinner rim,

1 spaced outwardly extending flanges on said inner rim, each of saidflanges formed with a alurality of openings, a plurality of pairs ofcompression plates extending between said flanges and havin their endsprojecting outwardly through said openings, spring means between thecompression plates of each pair, flanges on said outer'rim overlap-Copies of this patentmay be obtained for ping said flanges on the innerrim and formed with openings coinciding with the openings in saidflanges on the inner rim, said compression plates havin their outer endsextending through the last mentioned openlngs. V

at. In a resilient wheel, an inner rim, an outer rim spaced apart fromsaid inner rim, spaced outwardly extending flanges on said inner rim,each of said flangesiformed with a plurality of openings, a plurality ofpairs of compression plates-extending between said flanges and havingtheir ends projecting outwardly through said openings, spring meansbetween the compression platesof each pair, flanges on said outerrimoverlapping said flanges on the inner rim and formed with openingscoinciding with the openings in said flanges on the inner rim,

said compression plates having their outer ends extending through thelast mentioned openings, connectmg means extending between said flangeson the lnner run, an annular row of bearing blocks on theouter rim, andsprings extending between said connecting means and said bearing blocks,

,each spring having an outer end slidably engaged against a respectivebearing block. 7

openings in said flanges on the inner'rim,

said compression plates having their outer ends extending through thelast mentioned openings, connecting means extending between said flangeson the inner rim, an annular row of bearing blocks on the outer rim,springsextending between said connecting means and said bearing blocks,each spring having an outer end slidably engaged against a respectivebearing block, guide means on said flanges on the inner rim, and meanson the outer ends of the last mentioned springs having engagement withsaid guidemeans whereby the last mentioned springs are restricted tomovement in one direction relatively to said inner rim. 7

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, 7

WILLIAM LEROY DAVIS.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner vo1 Eatents,

Washington, D. 0."

